Clippers, Warriors ready to put it all on the line in Game 7

Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin (32) center, is defended by Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson, left, and Draymond Green during the second half in Game 6 of an opening-round NBA basketball playoff series on Thursday, May 1, 2014, in Oakland, Calif. Golden State won 100-99. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, right, shoots over Los Angeles Clippers' Jamal Crawford during the second half in Game 6 of an opening-round NBA basketball playoff series on Thursday, May 1, 2014, in Oakland, Calif. Golden State won 100-99. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The way things went Thursday in Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference playoff series between the Clippers and Golden State Warriors, it’s a good thing for the Clippers they played well enough during the season to get the No. 3 seed.

“Yeah, that’s why you work so hard to get as high a seed as possible and to have home court in situations like these,” forward Blake Griffin said following his team’s 100-99 loss at Golden State that tied the series 3-3. Game 7 is Saturday night at 7:30 at Staples Center. “Not happy about the way we played, but we have to forget about it because we have a big one coming up.”

Indeed they do, because at this point it’s win or go home.

Interestingly, it was the Clippers’ two big guns — Griffin and guard Chris Paul — who did not play very well Thursday. Griffin had just 17 points on 8-of-24 shooting and fouled out with 2:31 to play. Paul had just nine points on 3-of-10 shooting and also was in foul trouble.

Short memories are best under these circumstances.

“Any time you lose, guys are down, guys are mad and upset,” Paul said of the team’s angry locker room afterward. “You always try to run through your mind what you could have done differently for us to be so close.

“But, yeah, we’ve got to let this one go and get ready for Game 7.”

Paul is battling some nagging injuries, but he will play.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Thursday’s loss is that earlier in the day the Clippers were relaxed and joking around at the shootaround. That was courtesy of NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who Tuesday imposed a lifetime ban on team owner Donald Sterling because of his racist comments toward African-Americans.

The team is at its best when relaxed and having fun, Jamal Crawford proclaimed.

The Clippers came out like gangbusters Thursday night, roaring to an early nine-point lead. It appeared they could win by blowout. But the tide turned, and the Clippers struggled the rest of the night.

The Warriors weren’t much better, just good enough to win. Now the pressure is on the Clippers because they are supposed to win this series. Players like Griffin want, and need, to be there.

“Obviously I’m disappointed in the game I played individually, but as a team we need to focus on Game 7 and not dwell on it,” Griffin said.

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Big-time players thrive in these situations, and Griffin intimated he doesn’t mind having that load on his shoulders.

“It doesn’t feel like a burden,” he said Friday at practice. “I think the most important thing is not having to press and saying ‘Oh. I need to do this, I need to do that.’ I just need to let the game happen.”

Paul talked about staying out of foul trouble. It should be noted, however, that the Warriors had foul trouble as well. David Lee fouled out with 9:44 to play. Draymond Green had five fouls. And, yes, the Clippers’ J.J. Redick fouled out with under a minute to go.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers would not use that, or his team’s poor rebounding in the first half, as an excuse.

“I just thought both teams played poorly, but the tougher team won the game last night,” Rivers said. “I think we want to play better, that’s the first thing. The second thing is, if we don’t, let’s be as tough.”

Besides, this is Game 7.

“For a player, it should be like a game when you are a kid and you dream about it,” he said. “I mean, it’s the game.”

The Clippers lost in six games to Memphis in the first round of the playoffs last season, while the Warriors beat Denver in six games before losing to San Antonio in six in the Western Conference semifinals.

Golden State’s Stephen Curry, who scored 14 of his game-high 24 points in the first quarter Thursday, said much was gained from that experience.

“We learned a lot last year in the playoffs about what that means and how important each possession is,” Curry said. “Those lessons are pretty evident in this series. We haven’t been in a Game 7, or a lot of the guys in the locker room haven’t been to Game 7. So you understand each possession is even more precious, and we have to just fight.”